Friday, December 3, 2010

Book Review - HTML5: Up and Running

If you don't know about the new features available in HTML5, now's the time to find out.

Good introduction to core features of HTML5

Book starts with the history of HTML and then describes the details of the HTML5 specification for some of the more prominent features, and how you can use the new features to improve your website/webapps; New elements are introduced one by one - tags, canvas, video, geo-location, storage, offline web apps, new form features and microdata. Author Mark Pilgrim also introduces a nifty JavaScript library, Modernizr, used to check the HTML5 capabilities of the requesting browser (None of the mainstream browsers supports all features of HTML5, though all support some/many aspects of it). Most of the stuff in the book can be read independently, so, you can skip topics and then can always come back. A web version of this book is available at DiveIntoHTML5.org website maintained by the author and you can browse and explore it at the same time. The linked website is full of interesting illustrations. Both book and website compliments each other. Whether you buy the book or read it online, it’s the best introduction to the topic you’ll find.

The book is a good start for someone getting into HTML as well for someone who wants to increase his knowledge base. If you are looking for a book to learn about core features of HTML5, this book might be of your interest.

Disclosure: I’m writing this post as part of O’Reilly’s blogger review program. While I’m not getting paid to review books, I sure am getting to read them for free.